At midseason: Ducks still seeking consistency

Through the first 42 games of the 2010-11 season, the Ducks have been nothing if not interesting. You never know which team you will see on a given night.

Game to game, period to period and even shift to shift, the Ducks have shown the capacity to look equally dominant and downright feeble. They've been able to beat some of the NHL's best and lose to the worst the league has to offer.

Team Sybil.

The Ducks are a flawed bunch that has struggled to find a singular identity. But they've begun the second half of the season with a three-game winning streak that's put them in position for a run at a Stanley Cup playoff berth.

And that's why General Manager Bob Murray is content with his team's current position.

"We've weathered the storm and now we can get right in the mix," Murray said. "We're in good shape. They've worked hard to get themselves to this place. But now they've got to make sure to take advantage of it."

Murray pointed to a first-half schedule that's been among the more challenging in franchise history. The Ducks have played more games than any other team since the season began with three bad road losses in a four-night span. They played nine sets of games on back-to-back nights and often faced teams at home.

While understanding that many fans have been as frustrated with the Ducks' inability to take a major step forward this season, Murray said the schedule can't be ignored as a mitigating factor.

"I think they've battled through a very tough first-half schedule," he said. "And I think they've battled hard. Yeah, there's been some nights where you're wondering what they're thinking. There's been some nights where people are wondering what's going on.

"But you take a look at the schedule and, for God's sake, they're just trying to survive out there. I can be as hard as anybody on the group. But I have to give them credit. There have been some tough situations where they've battled and gotten something out of them."

The Ducks have had some impressive individual efforts to give you reason that a playoff team will emerge.

Corey Perry is a top NHL forward in his own right and not just a great wing man for linemate Ryan Getzlaf. Red-hot goalie Jonas Hiller has 19 victories, and his effort Sunday against Chicago showed that he can steal games. Lubomir Visnovsky and Toni Lydman have been a surprisingly strong top defensive pairing.

But there are things about the Ducks that don't present a convincing argument for their postseason worthiness.

The defense too often still hangs its goalies out to dry. Little to no production from their third and fourth lines has exposed their lack of depth. Getzlaf's current nasal fracture injury is a major concern.

Above all, the Ducks have been a mixed bag with every step or two forward met with a step or two taken back. A six-game November winning streak was followed by six consecutive losses. Seven victories in 10 games were met with four losses in a five-game span.

Will they build on their current three-game run or lose this latest shot at building some momentum?

"We're trying to find that consistency," Ducks center Saku Koivu said. "Obviously if you want to be successful and do it all the time, you can't have games or periods that you don't do the things that you're supposed to do.

"I think that's been one thing that we're not happy about our game, that inconsistency. But you can look around the league and there are only a couple of teams that really have done that. It's not easy to do."

The Ducks addressed their issues in Phoenix last week as a listless loss to the Kings prompted Coach Randy Carlyle to meet with each player in clear-the-air meetings that proved beneficial to some of the team's leaders.

"Since the meetings, everybody's been more upbeat," Perry said. "I think we've come together a lot more than we were. I think that's brought everybody together in this room."

Murray said he likes that the team plays "a much more disciplined style of hockey now, which is nice." He also said that the next few weeks will help him determine whether they'll add or subtract before the Feb. 28 trade deadline.

His preference would be to add players, like newly acquired checking center Maxim Lapierre, for little cost.

"I'd love nothing more than to try to continue on this way. Who knows?" Murray said.

But the Ducks have to be better and duplicating their 23-14-4 second-half mark of last season might not be enough as 94 points might be the cutoff point between a Western Conference playoff spot and another off-season answering hard questions.

With a less taxing schedule the rest of the way, there will no more excuses.

"It has to be better than the first," Carlyle said. "It's not should. It has to be. We have to play to a higher level. We're going to play more Western Conference teams. These points are going to be valuable as we get into the second half."

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